WO2025009766A1 - Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain and use thereof for improving hair or scalp condition - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to use of a novel Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DS008 strain for improving hair or scalp condition. The strain and a cosmetic composition comprising same have the effects of strengthening hair roots, improving hair elasticity, improving hair texture, improving hair gloss, improving damaged hair, or increasing hair thickness, and thus can have various applications for the improvement, prevention or treatment of hair or scalp condition.

Description

Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis strain and its use for improving hair or scalp condition

The present invention relates to novel microorganisms, their lysates, cultures, extracts, and their use for improving hair or scalp conditions.

Hair repeats the cycle of growth (anagen), regression (catagen), resting (telogen), and hair loss, repeating the process of creation and destruction. Hair is composed of 90% keratin, which is composed of 18 types of amino acids as its basic components, and about 10% water, and its constituent elements are carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sulfur.

Hair is composed of the root that is involved in growth inside the skin and the hair shaft exposed to the outside of the skin. The cross-section of hair is composed of the hair cuticle, hair cortex, and hair medulla. Among them, the hair cortex accounts for more than 80% and has a great influence on the characteristics of hair. The hair cortex is a fibrous layer composed of fibrous keratin proteins.

The hair cuticle accounts for 10 to 15% of the entire hair and is a multilayer structure in which keratin, a hydrophobic protein, surrounds the hair cortex in a scale-like shape, protecting the hair. The hair cortex is a fibrous structure located between the hair medulla and the hair cuticle, accounting for 80 to 90% of the hair, and is a layer composed of cortical cells and interstitial substances, containing melanin and collagen proteins. It determines the color, strength, and elasticity of the hair.

The hair cuticle is protected by a tough keratin protein layer, so it is generally resistant to heat and stimulation. However, if strong physical stimulation, heat, repeated bleaching and dyeing, or long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays accumulate, the hair's proteins will oxidize and the cuticle will split. Damaged hair has an irregular surface, is rough, lacks luster, and has low tensile strength, making it easy to break.

Probiotics is a general term for microorganisms that have beneficial effects on humans and animals, and refers to microorganisms that provide benefits to humans and animals. Most probiotics known to date are known as lactic acid bacteria. Probiotics have been reported to have effective effects through various beneficial effects on the human body, but research on the relationship between scalp or hair flora and scalp or hair is insufficient.

Accordingly, there is a need to develop scalp-resident bacteria or hair-resident bacteria that can be useful for conditions related to hair or scalp.

One aspect provides a composition comprising a Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain, a lysate thereof, a culture medium thereof, or an extract of the culture medium thereof.

Another aspect is to provide a use of the composition for preventing, improving or treating hair or scalp conditions.

Another aspect provides a method of preventing, ameliorating, or treating a condition of a subject comprising administering to the subject the composition described above.

One aspect provides a composition comprising a Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain, a lysate thereof, a culture medium thereof, or an extract of the culture medium thereof.

The strain may be isolated. The term "isolated" used herein means that it is not present in nature but is artificially isolated and available. The strain may be isolated from dog skin. The strain may be isolated from dog keratinocytes. The strain may be a strain isolated by a method of inoculating dog keratinocytes onto TSA (Tryptic Soy Agar) and purely isolating and culturing a cultured colony.

The above strain may be a strain belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium ( Bifidobacterium sp.).

The strain may comprise 16S rRNA having a sequence identity of about 95% or greater, about 96% or greater, about 97% or greater, about 98% or greater, about 99% or greater, about 99.5% or greater, about 99.9% or greater, about 95% to 100%, about 96% to 100%, about 97% to 100%, about 98% to 100%, about 99% to 100%, about 99.5% to 100%, about 99.9% to 100% with sequence number 1. The strain may comprise 16S rRNA of sequence number 1.

The term "sequence identity" as used herein refers to the degree of identity of amino acid residues or bases between sequences after aligning the two sequences to the greatest extent possible in a specific comparison region. Sequence identity can be determined by methods known in the art. The percentage of sequence identity can be determined using a known sequence comparison program, such as BLASTN (NCBI), CLC Main Workbench (CLC bio), and MegAlignTM (DNASTAR Inc).

The above Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain may be a strain deposited with the deposit number KCCM12993P. The strain deposited with the above deposit number may be a Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DS008 strain.

The above strain may have an effect of improving hair or scalp conditions. For example, the improvement in hair or scalp conditions may be at least one of strengthening hair roots, improving hair elasticity, improving hair texture, improving hair shine, improving damaged hair, or increasing hair thickness.

In this specification, the term "lysate" may be used interchangeably with "lysate" and may mean a product obtained by breaking down the cell wall of a strain by chemical or physical force. The lysate may include the lysate itself, a concentrate thereof, or a lyophilized product thereof.

In this specification, the term "culture medium" may be used interchangeably with "culture supernatant", "conditioned medium" or "conditioned medium", and may mean the entire medium including the strain, its metabolites, extra nutrients, etc., obtained by culturing the strain in a medium capable of supplying nutrients so that the Bifidobacterium animalis subspaces lactis strain can grow and survive in a test tube for a certain period of time. In addition, the culture medium may mean a culture medium obtained by culturing the strain and removing the cells from the cell culture. Meanwhile, the liquid from the culture medium from which the cells have been removed is also called a "supernatant", and may be obtained by allowing the culture medium to stand still for a certain period of time and taking only the liquid in the upper layer excluding the portion that has settled to the lower layer, or by removing the cells through filtration, or by centrifuging the culture medium to remove the sediment at the lower layer and taking only the liquid at the upper layer. The "cell" refers to the strain of the present invention itself, and includes the strain itself selected by separating from a sample or the like, or the strain isolated from the culture medium by culturing the strain. The above-mentioned fungi can be obtained by centrifuging the culture solution and taking the portion that has settled to the lower layer, or by allowing the fungi to settle to the lower layer of the culture solution by gravity and then leaving it for a certain period of time and removing the upper liquid.

The above culture solution may include the culture solution itself obtained by culturing the strain, a concentrate or lyophilized product thereof, or a culture supernatant obtained by removing the strain from the culture solution, a concentrate or lyophilized product thereof.

The culture medium and culture conditions for culturing the above Bifidobacterium animalis subspaces lactis strain can be appropriately selected or modified and used by those skilled in the art. For example, the culture solution can be obtained by culturing in a medium (e.g., R2A medium, RCM medium, or TSA medium) at any temperature above 10°C or below 40°C for a certain period of time, for example, 4 to 120 hours.

The term "culture solution extract" in this specification means an extract obtained from the culture solution or a concentrate thereof, and may include an extract, a dilution or concentrate of the extract, a dried product obtained by drying the extract, or a adjusted or purified product thereof, or a fraction obtained by fractionating the same.

The strain, its lysate, culture medium, or extract of the culture medium may be biologically pure. The strain may be obtained by pure culture.

Uses of the composition may include improving the condition of hair or scalp, or preventing or treating hair loss.

The improvement in the above hair or scalp condition may be at least one of strengthening hair roots, improving hair elasticity, improving hair texture, improving hair shine, improving damaged hair, or increasing hair thickness.

The strain may increase the expression of at least one of keratin 10 and hair luster-related lipids. The hair luster-related lipid may be cholesterol. The strain may increase the thickness of at least one of the hair cuticle layer or the hair cortex layer.

“Strengthening hair roots” refers to any action that strengthens and strengthens the roots of the hair.

“Improving hair elasticity” may include increasing the tensile strength of the hair.

“Improving hair texture” or “improving hair shine” refers to all actions that reduce splitting of the hair cuticle, increase the shine of the hair, and smoothen the curves of the hair surface.

“Damaged hair” may be hair that has lost its elasticity, texture, or shine due to strong physical stimulation or heat, repeated bleaching and dyeing, or long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays.

“Improvement” may mean any action that reduces at least the severity of a symptom, for example a parameter related to the alleviation or treatment of a condition.

"Hair loss" refers to the phenomenon of hair falling out from the scalp or the condition of hair becoming thicker or thinner. The hair loss can be caused by a decrease in the proportion of hair in the growth phase. The hair loss can be caused by exogenous or endogenous factors.

"Prevention" includes suppressing the occurrence of disease.

“Treatment” includes the inhibition, alleviation, or elimination of the development of a disease.

The composition according to one aspect may be for improving the condition of hair or scalp of an animal. The animal may be a cow, a horse, a pig, a dog, a sheep, a goat, or a cat. The animal may be a pet dog or a pet cat.

According to one aspect, a composition can exhibit an effect of improving the condition of hair or scalp by increasing the expression of keratin 10 and cholesterol and increasing the thickness of the hair cuticle layer and the hair cortex layer by including the Bifidobacterium animalis subspaces lactis strain, a lysate thereof, a culture solution, or an extract of the culture solution.

In another specific example, the strain may be used together with another strain having an effect of improving hair or scalp condition, for example, a strain belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium, to produce a synergistic effect.

The composition comprises 0.0001 wt% to 99.9999 wt%, 0.001 wt% to 80 wt%, for example, 0.01 wt% to 60 wt%, 0.01 wt% to 40 wt%, 0.01 wt% to 30 wt%, 0.01 wt% to 20 wt%, 0.01 wt% to 10 wt%, 0.01 wt% to 5 wt%, 0.05 wt% to 60 wt%, 0.05 wt% to 40 wt%, 0.05 wt% to 30 wt%, 0.05 wt% to 20 wt%, 0.05 wt% to 10 wt%, 0.05 wt% to 5 wt%, 0.1 wt% to 60 wt%, 0.1 wt% to 40 wt%, 0.1 It may include the strain, its lysate, culture medium or extract of the culture medium in an amount of from 0.1 wt% to 30 wt%, from 0.1 wt% to 20 wt%, from 0.1 wt% to 10 wt%, or from 0.1 wt% to 5 wt%.

The term "included as an effective ingredient" in this specification means that the strain of this specification, its lysate, culture medium or extract of the culture medium is added to an extent capable of exhibiting the effect mentioned above, and includes formulation in various forms by adding various components as auxiliary components for drug delivery and stabilization, etc.

The composition may be in a liquid or dry state. In one embodiment, the composition may be in the form of a dry powder.

The drying method for preparing the above composition in a dry state may use a method commonly used in the art, and is not particularly limited. Non-limiting examples of the drying method include an air drying method, a natural drying method, a spray drying method, a freeze drying method, etc. These methods may be used alone or at least two methods may be used together.

The composition may comprise an effective amount of an additive sufficient to reduce deterioration of the strain, its lysate, culture medium or extract of the culture medium. The additive may be, for example, but is not limited to, a binder.

The composition may further comprise a cosmetically, pharmaceutically or food additive acceptable carrier. The composition may be formulated with the carrier and provided as a cosmetic, pharmaceutical or food additive.

The above composition may be a cosmetic composition.

The above cosmetic composition may additionally contain, in addition to the effective ingredients disclosed herein, components commonly used in cosmetic compositions, functional additives, etc., and may include, for example, conventional auxiliary agents such as antioxidants, stabilizers, solubilizers, surfactants, dispersants, emulsifiers, preservatives, vitamins, pigments, fragrances, etc., and carriers.

The above cosmetic composition is not particularly limited to a specific formulation, and the formulation can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. The above cosmetic composition may have, for example, a solubilized formulation, an emulsified formulation, or a dispersed formulation. The above cosmetic composition may have, for example, a cosmetic formulation of a flexible toner, a nourishing toner, a massage cream, a nourishing cream, an essence, a pack, a gel, an ampoule, or a skin adhesive type.

The above cosmetic composition may have a formulation selected from a hair mist, a hair tonic, a hair lotion, a hair cream, a hair spray, a hair mousse, a hair gel, a hair conditioner, a hair shampoo, a hair rinse, a hair pack, a hair treatment, an eyebrow tonic, an eyelash tonic, or an eyelash nutrient, or a pet formulation thereof.

In one specific embodiment, the cosmetic composition may be in the form of a hair mist formulation.

The above composition may be a composition for external use on the skin.

In the present specification, the skin external preparation may be a cream, a gel, an ointment, a skin emulsifier, a skin suspension, a transdermal patch, a drug-containing bandage, a lotion, or a combination thereof. The skin external preparation may be appropriately mixed with ingredients commonly used in skin external preparations such as cosmetics or medicines, such as aqueous ingredients, oily ingredients, powder ingredients, alcohols, moisturizers, thickeners, ultraviolet absorbers, whitening agents, preservatives, antioxidants, surfactants, fragrances, colorants, various skin nutrients, or combinations thereof, as needed. The skin external preparation may be preferably a metal sequestering agent such as disodium edetate, trisodium edetate, sodium citrate, sodium polyphosphate, sodium metaphosphate, or gluconic acid; a drug such as caffeine, tannin, bellapamil, licorice extract, glabridin, various herbal medicines, tocopherol acetate, glycyrrhizic acid, tranexamic acid, and derivatives or salts thereof; Vitamin C, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbic acid glucoside, arbutin, kojic acid; sugars such as glucose, fructose, and trehalose can also be appropriately blended.

The above composition may be a pharmaceutical composition.

The pharmaceutical composition may additionally comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier. The diluent may be lactose, corn starch, soybean oil, microcrystalline cellulose, mannitol, or a combination thereof. The carrier may be an excipient, a disintegrant, a binder, a glidant, or a combination thereof. The excipient may be microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, low-substituted hydroxycellulose, or a combination thereof. The disintegrant may be calcium carboxymethylcellulose, sodium starch glycolate, calcium dihydrogen phosphate, or a combination thereof. The binder may be polyvinylpyrrolidone, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, or a combination thereof. The glidant may be magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, talc, or a combination thereof.

The above pharmaceutical composition may be formulated as an oral or parenteral dosage form. The oral dosage form may be a granule, powder, solution, tablet, capsule, dry syrup, etc. The parenteral dosage form may be an injection, ointment, etc.

Another aspect provides a method of preventing, ameliorating, or treating a condition of a subject comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of the composition described above.

The condition of the above entity may be a condition related to the hair or scalp, a condition related to a hair or scalp injury, or a condition related to a hair or scalp inflammation.

The terms "administering," "introducing," and "implanting" are used interchangeably herein and may refer to placement of a composition according to one embodiment into a subject by a method or route that results in at least partial localization of the composition to a desired site according to one embodiment.

Administration may be by any method known in the art. Administration may be by any means, for example, intravenous, intramuscular, oral, transdermal, mucosal, intranasal, intratracheal or subcutaneous administration, directly into the subject. The administration may be systemic or local.

The subject may be a mammal, for example, a human, a cow, a horse, a pig, a dog, a sheep, a goat, or a cat. The subject may be an individual in need of improvement in the condition of hair or scalp, for example, an individual in need of strengthening hair roots, improving hair elasticity, improving hair texture, improving hair shine, improving damaged hair, or increasing hair thickness.

The above administration is 0.1 mg to 1,000 mg per day per individual of the composition according to one specific example, for example, 0.1 mg to 500 mg, 0.1 mg to 100 mg, 0.1 mg to 50 mg, 0.1 mg to 25 mg, 1 mg to 1,000 mg, 1 mg to 500 mg, 1 mg to 100 mg, 1 mg to 50 mg, 1 mg to 25 mg, 5 mg to 1,000 mg, 5 mg to 500 mg, 5 mg to 100 mg, 5 mg to 50 mg, 5 mg to 25 mg, 10 mg to 1,000 mg, 10 mg to 500 mg, 10 mg to It may be administered at 100 mg, 10 mg to 50 mg, or 10 mg to 25 mg. However, the dosage may be prescribed in various ways depending on factors such as the formulation method, administration method, patient's age, weight, sex, pathological condition, food, administration time, administration route, excretion rate, and response sensitivity, and a person skilled in the art can appropriately adjust the dosage considering these factors. The number of administrations can be once a day or twice or more within the range of clinically acceptable side effects, and the administration can be administered to one or more sites, and the total number of administration days can be from 1 to 30 days for one treatment at intervals of 2 to 5 days every day. If necessary, the same treatment can be repeated after an appropriate period. For animals other than humans, the same dosage per kg as for humans may be administered, or the dosage may be converted into the above dosage based on the volume ratio (e.g., average value) of organs (e.g., heart) between the target animal and the human.

A composition comprising a Bifidobacterium animalis subspaces lactis strain, a lysate thereof, a culture solution, or an extract of the culture solution according to an aspect thereof has the effects of strengthening hair roots, improving hair elasticity, improving hair texture, improving hair shine, improving damaged hair, or increasing hair thickness, and therefore can be applied in various ways for improving, preventing, or treating hair or scalp conditions, or hair loss.

Figure 1 shows the results showing the change in the expression level of keratin 10 when the cosmetic composition of Example 3 is treated on dog hair. a: Before treatment with the composition, b: After treatment with the composition.

Figure 2 shows the results of changes in the expression level of hair gloss-related lipids when the cosmetic composition of Example 3 is applied to dog hair. a: Before treatment with the composition, b: After treatment with the composition.

Figure 3 is a graph quantitatively showing the change in the thickness of the cuticle layer and cortex layer contained in hair when the cosmetic composition of Example 3 is applied to dog hair. a: Before treatment with the composition, b: After treatment with the composition.

The present invention will be described in more detail through the following examples. However, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1: Isolation and identification of strains

A strain of Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis was isolated and identified from the skin of a healthy dog.

Specifically, a sample, i.e., canine epidermal keratinocytes, obtained by washing the skin of a healthy dog with sterile distilled water was inoculated onto a Tryptic Soy Agar (BD) medium. After inoculation, the cells were cultured in a 28°C incubator for 48 hours, and 100 colonies formed were purified and cultured, which were then re-cultured in a 28°C incubator for 48 hours.

The colonies that had completed the culture were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequence identification. At this time, primers designed to react only with bacteria and amplify were used. PCR amplification was performed for 30 cycles of 95°C for 1 minute, 55°C for 1 minute, and 75°C for 1 minute and 30 seconds, and finally treated at 72°C for 8 minutes and stored at 4°C. After the PCR reaction was completed, the DNA sequences of the isolated cultured species were determined using ABI-3730XL (ABI, USA).

The base sequence of the 16S rRNA region determined from the isolated cultured microbial colony was compared and analyzed with other registered strains using the BLAST program provided on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website in the United States, and a novel microbial strain, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (hereinafter referred to as “DS008”), with less than 99% homology was selected. The selected DS008 strain was deposited with the Korea Culture Collection for Microorganisms (KCCM) on May 28, 2021 and assigned the accession number KCCM12993P. The DS008 strain has a 16S rRNA sequence of sequence number 1 (complementary DNA).

Example 2. Preparation of DS008 strain culture solution

The DS008 strain of Example 1 was inoculated into Reasoner's 2A (R2A) medium (Becton Dickinson, Cockeysville, MD) and cultured at 37°C under anaerobic conditions for 72 hours.

Example 3. Preparation of a cosmetic composition containing a DS008 strain culture solution

A cosmetic composition containing a DS008 strain culture was prepared according to the respective components and contents described in Table 1 below.

ingredient Content (weight%) Example 2 (DS008 strain culture solution) 1 Purified water 91.473 Butylene glycol 4 glycerin 0.4 Cetrimonium chloride 0.087 Pentylene glycol 1 1,2-Hexanediol 0.5 Ethylhexylglycerin 0.29 Citric acid 0.05 Tromethamine 0.1 Polysorbate 20 1 Fragrance 0.1 total 100

Specifically, purified water, butylene glycol, and glycerin described in Table 1 were mixed with cetrimonium chloride to prepare a mixture. Next, pentylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, and ethylhexylglycerin were added to the mixture, and the mixture was mixed in an Agimixer to prepare a mixture. Next, citric acid and tromethamine were added to the mixture, and the mixture was mixed in an Agimixer to prepare a mixture. Next, polysorbate 20 and a fragrance were mixed in the mixture to prepare a mixture, and the mixture was mixed in an Agimixer to prepare a mixture. Next, the DS008 strain culture according to Example 2 was added to the mixture, and the mixture was mixed in an Agimixer to prepare a cosmetic composition according to Example 3.

Experimental Example 1. Analysis of hair texture improvement activity - Confirmation of increased expression of keratin 10

To analyze the effect of DS008 strain culture on hair texture improvement activity, the expression of Keratin 10 was confirmed.

Specifically, a cosmetic composition according to Example 3 was applied to the back of a companion dog every day for two weeks, and hair was collected on the last day of application. The collected hair was sectioned, fixed on a slide glass, and then keratin 10 immunohistochemistry staining was performed.

The results are shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows a photograph of keratin 10 contained in dog hair taken using a fluorescence microscope when the cosmetic composition of Example 3 was applied to dog hair.

As shown in Fig. 1, the composition of Example 3 significantly increased the expression of keratin 10 in hair. These results imply that the DS008 strain and a cosmetic composition containing the same can be useful for improving hair or scalp conditions and hair texture.

Experimental Example 2. Analysis of activity to improve hair shine - Confirmation of increased expression of cholesterol in hair

To analyze the effect of DS008 strain culture on hair gloss improvement activity, the expression of hair gloss-related lipids was confirmed.

Specifically, the cosmetic composition according to Example 3 was applied to the back of a companion dog every day for two weeks, and on the last day of application, the hair was collected and Nile red O staining was performed.

The results are shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a photograph of cholesterol contained in dog hair taken using a fluorescence microscope when the cosmetic composition of Example 3 was applied to dog hair.

As shown in Fig. 2, the composition of Example 3 significantly increased the expression of cholesterol in hair, which is a lipid related to hair luster. These results imply that the DS008 strain and a cosmetic composition containing the same can be usefully used for improving hair or scalp conditions and hair luster.

Experimental Example 3. Analysis of activity for improving hair elasticity and increasing thickness - Confirmation of increase in hair cuticle and cortex layer thickness

To analyze the effect of DS008 strain culture on improving hair elasticity and increasing hair thickness, the thickness changes in the cuticle and cortex layers of the hair were confirmed.

Specifically, the hair of a dog was treated with a cosmetic composition according to Example 3 in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, and then keratin 10 immunohistochemical staining was performed. Then, the thickness of the cuticle layer and cortex layer of the hair was quantitatively analyzed using a fluorescence microscope.

The results are shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a graph quantitatively showing the thickness of the cuticle layer and cortex layer of hair when the composition of Example 3 is applied to dog hair.

As shown in Fig. 3, the composition of Example 3 significantly increased the thickness of the hair cuticle layer and the hair cortex layer. These results imply that the DS008 strain and a cosmetic composition containing the same can be usefully used for improving hair or scalp conditions.

In summary, it was confirmed that the Bifidobacterium animalis subspaces lactis DS008 strain or a composition containing it increases the expression of keratin 10 and cholesterol lipids related to hair luster, and increases the thickness of the hair cuticle layer and the hair cortex layer. Therefore, it was found that the DS008 strain and a composition containing it have the effects of strengthening hair roots, improving hair elasticity, improving hair texture, improving hair luster, improving damaged hair, or increasing hair thickness.

The above description is merely an example of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A composition comprising a Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain, a lysate thereof, a culture medium thereof, or an extract of the culture medium thereof. A composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is a cosmetic composition for improving hair or scalp conditions. A composition according to claim 1, wherein the strain is Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DS008 strain deposited under deposit number KCCM12993P. A composition according to claim 2, wherein the improvement in the condition of the hair or scalp is at least one of strengthening hair roots, improving hair elasticity, improving hair texture, improving hair shine, improving damaged hair, or increasing hair thickness. A composition according to claim 2, which increases the expression of at least one of keratin 10 and cholesterol. A composition according to claim 2, which increases the thickness of at least one of a hair cuticle layer or a hair cortex layer. A composition according to claim 2, wherein the composition is a cosmetic composition for improving the condition of animal hair or scalp. A composition according to claim 7, wherein the animal is a pet dog or a pet cat. A health functional food composition for improving hair or scalp condition, comprising a Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain, a lysate thereof, a culture solution thereof, or an extract of the culture solution. A pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating hair loss, comprising a Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain, a lysate thereof, a culture medium, or an extract of a culture medium as an active ingredient.

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